I'm amused and happy with some further feedback from my players.
The first session involved some run-ins with foes that were mainly farmers, and the group of 4th level PCs rolled them while barely breaking a sweat (the second engagement occurred under a new moon, with all the PCs enjoying nightvision, magical stealth enhancement and the enemy bonfire magically extinguished). The Culraug I intended to provide a more significant threat was shockbolted and stunned before getting it's first spell away, and then had it's leg lopped off before before recovering from stun. The actual farmers were cut to pieces.
The PCs walked away unscathed (the PC Paladin took a few concussion hits, but only because on a couple of occasions I didn't penalise the enemy sufficiently for fighting in nearly pitch darkness). I don't resent their success, it was a well-planned assault; they made excellent use of their available spells and abilities, and deserved the win.
I'm amused that the fighter-types are all reminding each other not to get too cocky, as they were only fighting farmers, and I've discovered that the paladin and the goblin rogue have fully absorbed the fact that they could very easily be on the receiving end of the pain in the future. Being who they are, they're both going to be aggressive when the need to fight arises, but they're both also petrified that they're going to get hurt and hurt badly -- an attitude that should ensure they continue to find the combats exciting and a little scary.